Archive for May, 2012

I going say right off da bat dat dis mo'olelo is long but I cut it down as much as I could.

Dis past Saturday I went looking for a repair shop to fix my weed wacker.

A little background first. I have a propane fueled 4 stroke weed wacker that has been problematic aftah a year and a half of owning it (second one already) but actually only used half a dozen times. Naturally it breaks down AFTAH da warranty expired but I've been in contact with "customer service" working with them trying to find a solution. Needless to say dat they are clueless for a solution even with all da product reviews complaining about da same problem. I finally decided to try and get it fixed locally.

Da fun is just beginning.

Aftah doing some searching on weed wacker repair shops in my area - and also seeing the shop several times from the road - I decided on stopping by the Small Engine Clinic on Kamehameha Hwy near Best Buy. It's a typical workshop with an open floor layout and a counter in da back. No one was in da shop as I approached da counter and noticed a "boy" sitting at a desk talking on da phone facing da wall. He turned and looked up - we made eye contact - so I knew that he'd come help once he was done.

At least das wat I thought.

Aftah standing for about five minutes burning a hole through his head with my stare, I began to realize dat he wasn't interested in a "customer" at all. His phone call must have been of a personal nature as he started using hand gestures (as if da person he was talking to could see) and was heavily involved in his conversation not minding me at all. Then I noticed no cord and obviously he was on his cell.

Being as patient as I could be, I began to pace to show him that I was still there and walked back and forth trying to see if anyone else was in da shop. A'ole. There was someone upstairs in da office shuffling papers but didn't bother to look down either as another seven or eight minutes passed. I checked back in on da boy and he could care less dat I've been looking for help da past 12 minutes. He looked my way again but still went on continuing on with his "important" call not showing any courtesy to say "I'll be right there" or "please wait".

Aftah a few more minutes, I walked out shaking my head in disbelief.

Wassup Wit Dat!

I'm not surah if anyone else has been to the Small Engine Clinic but I'm definitely not evah going there again.

I decided to check out anoddah place called Aloha Power Equipment right on da corner of Nimitz and Sand Island Access Road since they specialize in yard and small engine equipment. I walk in and wait my turn but then a stock boy comes up from da side and asks if I needed anything.

BL: Just got a question. You guys do repair work on weed wackers right?Stock Boy: *Nods*BL: Wat about propane weed wackers?Stock Boy: Uh...... *walks ovah to da cashier* We fix propane week wackers or wat?Cashier: No. They make weed wackers that run on propane? I never heard of that.BL: Yeah, it's an earth friendly concept to help the environment plus you no need deal with da hassle of oil/gas mixture and long term storage.Cashier: Oh. No, sorry. We only do gas.BL: Mahalos. Do you know anybody else dat works on weed wackers?Cashier: No, sorry. *BL starts to walk out* Wait, try Small Engine Clinic in Pearl City.BL: I just came from there. *BL shares da morning mo'olelo*Stock Boy & Cashier: *LAUGHS hard!*Cashier: Yeah, I heard some stuff about them.BL: Yeah, they suck. I just walked out and showed my "aloha". Mahalos again.Cashier: Sorry.BL: No worries. Mahalos.

As I jump in da truck and wait for Da Wife to strap in Da Baby, da Cashier comes out and flags me down. He said he'd check with his mechanic to see wat they could do or if he'd have any suggestions.

I'm in shock.

A few minutes latah da mechanic comes out from his shop about 20 yards away and inspects da weed wacker. It was probably more out of curiosity than anything but he took a once ovah and realized it was pretty much like a gas weed wacker but designed to run on propane. He said he needed his tools so instead of him coming back all dat way, I followed him carrying da weed wacker.

He asked for da symptoms, checked da spark plug and then checked for spark in da weed wacker itself to make surah da bugah was able to run in which it did. He did all he could but concluded dat it was probably da regulator not feeding da carb and because it was a propane component, they weren't able to dig deeper. Da City would fine them $25k if they did. *** Oh frickin' boy do I have a mo'olelo for you about City Government latah!!! ***

Da whole time he was checking things out, we were talking story - along with a second mechanic - and he was genuinely concerned about trying to get the weed wacker to work even though it wasn't an Aloha Power Equipment issue nor equipment sold by them. He then suggested to check out Airgas Gaspro on Dillingham since they specialize in propane and they'd be able to test da regulator.

A HUGE MAHALOS to mechanic AL cause wat's been taking da manufacturer (Lehr) literally years to figgah out, mechanic AL did in 15 minutes. (WWD!) Mahalos to da Cashier as well for stepping up and helping out even though da problem wasn't his. Both of them showed da extra mile and ALOHA dat we so much lack in dis world.

CHOTTO-MATTE-KUDASAI! (Try wait... in Japanese)

Now da real "fun" begins.

Once I get to Gaspro, there's a good handful of people in there and I stand in line which is moving like H1 at rush hour. Da Wife takes Da Baby to walk in da store since she's been strapped in da truck for a couple of hours and not more than 10 minutes latah we both hear da truck alarm go off.

She comes ovah, hands me da keys and takes my place in line. I notice noboby/nothing around da truck as I exit Gaspro but wen I get to da lot I see a faded maroonish Explorer with stickahs all ovah da tailgate and a towing ball hitch blocking da license plate leaving turning onto Dillingham. I walk around da truck closely inspecting it cause da alarm would only go off on impact and dis is wat I saw:

Take a closer look? See da vertical black scratch by da edge of da tail light and da area I smudged to feel da oddah scratches? Yeah, it may appear to be minor scratches but it dug deep through to da primer.

I know it was dat frickin' faded maroon Explorer! Wat you going do wen da buggah dig out li'dat eh?

Wassap Wit Dat!

Well da Airgas Gaspro guy was nice but he couldn't help out with da weed wacker cause they don't have da equipment to test out da small fittings but he too agreed dat if it wasn't working, it was probably da regulator. Too bad they don't carry it nor have any parts for it so I had to go back to da manufacturer. Ai-goo. Das how they get 'cha!

Anyways, aftah getting home latah in da evening, I took a closer look at da damage.

I mean seriously! Who da heck would back up into anoddah vehicle and just dig out? I know da kine guys without insurance or maybe DUI kine but wouldn't da guilt get you? But c'mon, you can't tell me you didn't feel a "bump" and didn't hear an alarm blaring immediately aftah?!? Aren't there people who care any more or take responsibility or *gulp* admit fault? Are there any people left with morals and ethics? Geez!

Surah I could have called da cops but wat for? They no can catch 'em and if they did, da low-life's can deny evah being at Gaspro. Dat would have wasted HPD's time cause I cannot say for certain it was da faded Maroon Explorer even though I know it was. Surah I can go through insurance but I still responsible for da deductible which would probably break even in cost but only make my insurance go up.

In any case, it sucks not having anything to do with anything but yet end up da one paying for it. I not only got a broken weed wacker but now a broken truck.

Today, let's remember those who aren't able to be here. Today, let's make sure that - at least for one day - we reflect on those who sacrificed the most to allow us to have the most coveted feeling in the universe: freedom.

I'd like to reshare a blog that I wrote a couple years ago. It took an extremely long time to compose as I did not want to disrespect one of the greatest standing treasures in United States history and I hope I did it justice.

It was also an offer by long time Kwonic, NEO, that I should come by and visit - Mahalos for that.

While it may be a "holiday" for most of us, let's not forget that it's a holiday that many have given with the most precious sacrifice of all: life.

As we all enjoy the day off, if you got one, take a moment to reflect on the great armed force members of the United States. It doesn't have to be a full on tribute, but take the time to just embrace the true reason of the day as you carry on with your BBQ, beach outing or ohana time. Give them a nod, hold open a door or just a shaka to show your appreciation.

Mahalo to all those who have served and still serving. There aren't any words or gestures that can ever amount to the thanks we owe to those that have sacrificed with their life but Mahalo is the highest civilian salute we can ever give... besides our shaka.

Ok, so no more any phone dat'll help you pee but was just checking to see if you was reading or not...... but I'll bet there'll be an app for dat soon enough.

I'm guilty for owning most of da things up there. I remembah having a pager in high school although it nevah make sense cause you still had to find a pay phone to make da call but then we got smart and made up codes to avoid da anxiety of finding a phone.

You leave your phone numbah (yeah, we acutally memorized peoples phone numbahs back then) + "911" and you knew to call right away. Or maybe if you had asked a question like if your friend was going or not, leave your numbah + "1" for yes or "2" for no and stuff li'dat and then it got interesting wen you wen fo'get if it was 1 for yes or 1 for no.

And then came da boom of cell phones wea before only had da bricks but now dat you had one pager, gotta add one phone to da arsenal but because there wasn't such a thing as unlimited minutes, you either gotta talk fast or be selective about wat numbah you going call back from da pager to da phone.

I nevah had one organizer but now dat I tink about it, I surah had CHOKE phones. I had da kine minature brick, then as it gradually got down in size I had to "upgrade" and then I remembah having da "newest" toy on da block wit one CAMERA on da flip phone! It was such da craze to be able to take a pic wit your phone.

And now I'm guilty of having one "smartphone" although da buggah not too smart if I gotta tell 'em wat fo' do yeah? And you evah wen notice dat as da phones got "smarter".... people got dumber?

How many phones have you gone through? I swear I must of gone through about two dozen phones already. Are you guilty of going along with da times of portable personal technology? Did you have something your ohana or friends nevah have at da time? Wat you tink is coming out next?

In all honesty, I'm waiting for da hybrid of da tablet/phone to come to fruition. There are actually a few of them out right now with biggah screens than da current smartphones but still not a full blown tablet size which combines more of a computah aspect than a phone.

Really? Really?? Stolling along in da middle of a "road".... Wassup Wit Dat!

I couldn't believe dis wahine was just sashaying her okole in da middle of da parking lot. (But if it was a pretty okole....... eh, nevah mind, rated PG) Da angle of da pic doesn't look so bad but you can tell she stay "off" by looking at hood of da truck and da groove in da middle of "lanes". She was actually non-chalantly on da drivah side of da truck before she drifted two feet to her right and then continued on da entire time as if she was on da open seas.

Da last time I checked, a parking lot was to PARK VEHICLES, not for pedestrians. Surah we gotta get to and from our vehicles but at da same time, we do not walk on da "road" part. We certainly do not let our keiki run around like it's a playground and you ALWAYS try and walk single file (unless you get keiki which I'd hope would be on da inside of you holding your hand).

Now da older parking lots tends to be more of a minefield to dodge cause da lanes are more narrow but da "newer" lots like dis one, are more than adequate to be able to have people walk on da side and allow vehicles da "freedom" to drive by.

I hate da fact dat nowadays people walking in parking lots tink they "own da road" and they not even in one vehicle!

Let me put it anoddah way.

Wat if I drove my truck on da sidewalk? Same ting. Ok, more realistically, wat if I rode a bicycle on da sidewalk? Isn't a sidewalk for "walking"? Wouldn't you expect those who rode their bicycles to go around you or give you - da pedestrian - da right of way?

So why is it dat wen wen it comes to a parking lot, rules change? I don't evah hear anybody call it a "walking lot".

Surah I could have gone around but WHY? Wat if had anoddah car come ripping da corner? It would have been my fault for crossing into da oddah lane. It's da pedestrian's responsiblity to know dat 1) it's not a sidewalk and 2) to realize dat it's a PARKING LOT and get your damn okole to da side!

Ok, let's spread da Aloha.

On anoddah note about shopping carts, Da Wife and I was at Daiei - oh sorry, Don Quijote - and I wen fo' grab one bag rice to put on da cart.